By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke and the governorship candidate on the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State Mr Bola Oyebamiji on Saturday disagreed over the state of health facilities in the State.
Oyebamiji had disclosed that, it elected governor next year his administration will overhaul the health sector with a view to reviving the sector he described as moribund.
Oyebamiji in a statement issued by his media office and signed by Adebayo Adedeji, said Governor Adeleke has performed poorly in the health sector and should concentrate on delivering quality healthcare for the people of the State rather than dissipating energy on calling Oyebamiji unprintable names.
Rather than expending energy on calling AMBO and APC leaders unprintable names, Governor Ademola Adeleke should use the remainder of his tenure to work for the people of Osun State. His performance in the last 36 months, particularly in the health sector, has been poor and uninspiring.
In just four years of the Oyetola administration, in which AMBO played a prominent role, a standard 120-bed ward was constructed at the State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro. In the same hospital, a 30-unit-state-of-the-art doctors’ quarters, now valued at over ₦2 billion, was also constructed. Beyond building structures and health centres across the 332 wards of the state, the administration equipped them with medical consumables and facilities worth billions of naira just as doctors and other health professionals were handsomely rewarded. It is on record that the doctor-friendly AMBO played a crucial role in ensuring the new salary structure for doctors in Osun, as recommended by the Federal Government, was timely implemented in 2019. Osun doctors did not only earn a decent salary, they earned one of the best salaries in the whole of Nigeria.
Despite earning close to ₦1 trillion in revenue in three years, it is disheartening that the Adeleke administration had to remove (read “steal”) federal government equipment from the Mother and Child Hospital at Oke-Oniti, Osogbo, to secure accreditation for courses at the State Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. Why did the state government remove equipment from a federal facility to shore up its infrastructural deficiencies? Why did it not procure its own equipment? This development raises serious concerns about the commitment of the Adeleke administration to the health needs of Osun citizens.
The AMBO Media Fronts finds it troubling that 18 months after Dr Adekunle Akindele, Special Adviser on Health to Governor Adeleke, publicly acknowledged a shortage of health workers in the state’s hospitals, the government is yet to recruit the required professionals.
However, Governor Adeleke in a statement issued by his media aide, Olawale Rasheed, disclosed that Oyebamiji’s claim of moribund as “a baseless disinformation attempt” and show of his isolation from public minds.
“It is like the opposition candidate is living in another world because Osun today and from 2024, is number one across the South West in the area of provision of primary health care. When the Ikire man was in government, Osun was nowhere within the 10 digits.
“Over 200 health centres were renovated under my watch and another phase of renovation is presently ongoing. Under the previous government, the APC candidate was part of the committee that mismanaged the 20 million dollar World Bank grant meant for renovation of primary health care centers. Osun won’t return to the days of insensitive leaders.
“Unlike the APC government under which Mr Oyebamiji was a key actor, we upgraded hospitals with medical equipment and facilities for proper care. Our scorecards include procurement of modern operating materials for the wards and operating theatres;. purchase of digital medical devices, including sphygmomanometers, pulse oximeters, thermometers, and CPAP machines (VAYU models); acquisition of an electrophoresis (Genotype) machine, digital X-ray printer, and automated electronic device to enhance diagnostic capacity.
“We also ensure the establishment and commencement of renal dialysis services through a Public–Private Partnership arrangement; procurement of air conditioners for clinical units and patient care areas through donor support; establishment of a new theatre pharmacy, providing immediate access to essential drugs and consumables within the surgical complex; and provision of a mini-bus for hospital use and an ongoing project for a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) among others”.
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